Barbary Pirates Redeux?

The recent incident in which American snipers killed three Somalian pirates has aroused the anger of these gangsters of the sea. “We will seek out the Americans and if we capture them we will slaughter them,” said a cocky 25 year-old. He boasted that pirates would be on guard for any American vessel and will track them down and kill all crew members. Earlier last week, French forces launched an attack on a pirate ship and captured 11 of the militants. There is no doubt pirates are an outgrowth of the collapsed nation of Somalia since no government exists which can wipe out pirate sites. A major problem also stems from refusal of ship owners to place armed guards on their ships due to fear of insurance costs.

In the early 1800s, American Marines stormed the beaches of North Africa and wiped out many Barbary pirates and halted their attacks. We are in the 21st century and lack the will to arm ships and confront these thugs. In the majority of pirate attacks a small group sends rockets or grenades toward a ship and then boards it. Certainly, three or four armed guards could readily handle these types of attacks. Why must insurance costs always get in the way of doing the right thing?